Just Passing Through
by Mystic-Scriptures
Summary: Emily Hendrickon comes back to town after spending some year away from her Troubled home, with no intention of staying. But when she comes by for a visit and meets back up with her childhood friends, it might be harder to leave then she thinks. Especially when she is faced with what was left of her family and sees how much she is still needed in Haven. Dwight/ OC (familial) Duke/OC
1. Home Sweet Home

_Hey all, I'm at it again! Obsessed and writing another fic. This one is for Haven, and I absolutely love the ideas I have for it! Emily is fun to write and have ideas for. :) Anyway, this is just a little idea I came up with and then started to write. And no...she's not a case, and she isn't going to be entering in as an FBI agent with Audrey. I'm going for something completely different (or so I hope.) I also hope that my readers will reread this, because I did some major editing, switched the perspective, and changed some other things based on what I learned from episodes in the fifth season._

_**I don't own Haven or any of it's parts aside from Emily's perspective in it! **_

_Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home…_

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><p>The room was silent as the tall, stern principal walked out of the room, her eyes keen on the cowering girl in the large chair. If it were possible, the child would have been incinerated on the spot, but instead, she just got an uneasy feeling. Though as soon as the door was closed, the look given by her mother from the seat next to her didn't make things better. This wasn't the first time the girl had been called to the office along with her mother, but it most certainly won't be the last regardless of anything her mother had to say about it. This was the last stretch of the school year and there was only so little that the girl <em>hadn't<em> done yet. Her most recent infraction being the placement of a mouse into her teacher's desk. She looked back up at her mother, hiding behind the tight french braids that her nanny had meticulously done up for her this morning. Despite her mother's frown, the eight year old managed a small, nervous smile to cross her face, making the former Mrs. Stevenston let out a tired sigh.

This then made the girl try to figure out what was going on in her mother's mind. Maybe she'll get off easy after all, her mother only had a half day at work today, or so she had told _Eric_-her mother's new husband, and the child's new 'dad'. Maybe she'll have to help him pack up the house for their impending move, or even just to do extra chores around the house. To be honest, as long as she didn't have to hang out with her annoying kiss-up of a stepbrother,the child really didn't care what her mother did. She would rather be _anywhere_ else but with him, or where she has to hear about how amazing he was. Not that he was really as innocent as her mother was led to believe. He'd had his fair share of schoolyard fights and scuffles, he just didn't get caught. At least his sister wasn't too bad and would help the other girl mess with her brother. Though Dwight was the current threat and not Liza, she felt a pout settling on her face, waiting for her mother to say something, _anything_.

And the woman complied, her voice tired and filled with disbelief, "You caught a wild animal-a _rodent_ no less- and you placed it i_n your teacher's desk_? Her _desk _Emelia. The same teacher whose seat you tacked, shoelaces you tied together, dry erase markers you've replaced with sharpie cartridges, chair you whoopie cushioned, _and _head you had a bucket of ice water dumped on just this _week_?"

Emily attempted to break from the stern tone and use of her full first name over her nickname by providing an explanation for the former most antic. "Well the ice water, wasn't for Ms. Freedmen. It was _supposed_ to be for the cop that came in for career day, but then this one kid decided to call the teacher in with some injury." Not that she was going to tell her mom she thought it was fake-there was no way, that the shaggy haired kid had broken his arm on a swing he hadn't even been on- she wouldn't believe her is she tried. Speaking of…"Now that I think about it, he was missing today…no wonder I was the only one laughing."

She paused, trying to think about where the kid from before had gone. He usually found her pranks funny, and his laughter would get the rest of the class to join in, but she didn't even know who he was. Why didn't she ever take the opportunity to make friends with him? Other than the obvious preoccupation with avoiding or fighting with Dwight. As she thought about this, her mother took the opportunity to sigh, and rub her forehead.

"I just don't understand why you have to pull all of this, Em. I know that you miss your dad and I know that you think he's coming back, but you promised you would at least try."

Emily frowned, looking at her hands, "You mean like you tried _so hard_ to live without him? You went and got a new 'dad' faster than I could even start!" She glared up at her mother, "Well maybe I loved _my _dad just fine and don't wanna forget about him like you do!"

"You know what, Emelia Janine? That is something completely different that you can't possibly understand. The Hendricksons are a nice family, and one you should feel lucky that they are letting us into."

Emily snorted, "Right, because they're so _perfect_, right? Because _Dwight_ is just such a _perfect_ son. And Liza is the daughter you _always wanted_."

She was met with a stern look, "Maybe if you acted have a good as either of them, you wouldn't think that way. And maybe we wouldn't have this argument nearly every day of the week."

"Well then why don't you go run off and have a family with Eric instead! I can live with Papa and look for Dad if all I do is make a mess of everything."

Before her mother could respond, Emily ran off, the dark brown braids beating against her tanned shoulders. She would hear her mother coming after her, but she was faster and turned a corner before the woman could even make it out of the office. She knelt under one of the hallway tables, moving so that her knees were close to her chest. With her eyes shining with unshed tears of anger and humiliation, Emily rested her forehead to her knees and wished to be anywhere but in that hallway. Anywhere but in the reality of her having to move in with _Dwight_ or even where her mother watched her like she would explode any day now. The only place she wished she could be at was where she knew she would be appreciated.

A strong sea breeze pushed some of the escaped wisps of hair around her face, making her shudder with the sudden chill. Looking up, Emily felt her eyes widen as she realized she was somewhere completely separate from her school. Instead of markers, chalk, and cleaning supplies, she was filled with the smell of lilacs and the high tide. The coast was before her, but she had no idea where the lilacs came from. As she stood up, she tried to gain her bearings. She was on a small peninsula, with bay in front of her and to her sides, but behind her was just an open field. It looked like she was near the lighthouse, and when she turned to her right, she found out she was. Which meant she was near the Mcshaw family's restaurant, and that meant that town was a little ways away and she could get home. Following the shore, she came upon a house, and from it, a familiar looking boy running towards her. Maybe he had seen how she got there and could help her.

Running up to him, she opened her mouth go say something, but was stopped by him speaking instead. Grabbing her shoulder, he looked to where an older looking girl was following him, and whispered, "Just follow my lead and don't say _anything._"

Emily looked at him appalled, but couldn't say anything because the girl had caught up to them, and was looking at the boy curiously.

"Duke Crocker, you don't run from the house when I'm talking to you, just what do you think you're-" She stopped having realized her ward wasn't alone, or at least Emily was guessing that this woman was his mother. "Oh, hello there. Who's your friend?"

Duke smiled, looking to Emily as if trying to gauge how to find her name, Emily went to offer it, but he spoke up, stopping her completely-something that she was getting sick of already. "Well you see, Vanessa, this is my classmate Emmi, She was going to come over with me after recess, since we had a half day like I told you, but she had to ask her mom first."

The woman raised an eyebrow, looking to Emily with her arms crossed, "Is that so?"

Emily spoke up,quickly so that 'Duke' couldn't stop her a third time, "Yes ma'am, she said to tell you she's sorry she couldn't come meet you, but that she had to go run some errands and was wondering if you could drop me off at home for six."

There was a pause as both of these strangers stared at her in disbelief, the babysitter-or so Emily was guessing- recovering first with a resigned smile. She looked to both of them, and shrugged, shaking her head, "Okay fine, just behave yourselves and I won't tell your dad when he gets home, okay Duke?"

Duke shrugged, "What do ya take me for lady? An idiot?"

"I mean it Duke! And you better start behaving in school if you want me to keep letting you get away with shit! That stunt you pulled on the Wuornos kid the other day was unacceptable."

Duke threw his hands in front of him in annoyance, "I told you Nessa, Nathan's my friend! I _didn't_ tie his shoelaces together in gym! He just saw me laughing and _thought_ I did."

The girl waved the comment off, walking back to the house, "You're friend can stay for two hours, then I have to bring her home."

"Sure, Sure…" Duke muttered, turning to Emily with a curious expression, "Now that we both dodged the babysitter with the thorn in her side, why don't we start over?" He held out a hand, "I'm Duke...I think we're in the same class."

Emily smiled taking it, "I'm Emily, Emily…. Hendrickson." She frowned slightly, not sure if she would ever get used to saying that.

"You related to that big kid Dwight and his sister?" Duke looked down at her small frame with a frown. "I don't buy it."

Emily shrugged, "That's because my mother married his dad and he adopted me, but we're not related. Though, I guess I wouldn't mind calling Liza my sister." She folded her arms across her chest, "Thanks for not ratting me out with Nathan's shoelaces."

Duke laughed, "I didn't even know it _was_ you. I wish I'd done it, the look on his face was _priceless_."

Emily laughed back, "You should have seen the _teacher's_ face when she found a mouse in her desk today after recess."

Duke groaned, "The _one time_ I decide to skip!" He pointed to her, "You should hear of some of the things I left for her to find after school."

Emily smirked, looking over at him, " I think we are gonna be _great _friends."

_~*~*~27 Years later~*~*~_

"Duke Crocker, you by far are the _worst_ friend ever!" Emily huffed, running a hand through her hair. Pacing the small stretch of beach below the town's southern entrance, she groaned into her phone, hating the answering machine almost as much as the person. _Almost._ "You know, if my Trouble was still intact, I could have made it to that damned boat you call a home and back a hundred times over in the time it would take you to stand my ass up." she let out a humorless chuckle, "It's not like I skipped on my legitimate job to provide you with a not so legal one...that hey, I thought would be a fun way to catch up after four years. But no, you decided to-"

She paused suddenly, hearing a loud creaking noise above her. She looked, up and gasped, stepping back to see a car hanging over the cliff's ledge. She could vaguely hear "love will keep us together" playing on the radio, but as soon as she got annoyed with it, the car rocked a bit and the music was cut off: apparently the driver wasn't a fan either. Looking at the car and back to her phone, she let out a sigh. There would be time to ream her friend out later, but for now, she had a potential rescue to semi-conduct.

"Well, it looks like luck's on your side! I have to cut this short in favor of saving my own skin." she groused, pausing before adding a final, "But don't think this is over, Crocker," and hanging up.

Putting the phone in her jacket pocket, she took a few steps forward to get a better look at the car, taking in a rudimentary inventory of the situation. Getting what she needed, Emily dialed up the station, waiting for the ever familiar sound of Laverne, the town Dispatcher since she was in diapers, picking up the phone.

"Haven Police Department, how can I help you?"

Emily took the binoculars she'd been using to watch the coast from around her neck and looked back up at the car, "Hey, Laverne, It's Emily Hendrickson, I'm calling in to report a potential crash along the cliffs of the town's southern border."

"Hendrickson? Dwights little sister?" Emily sighed, letting out a polite 'mm-hmm' at the connection, glad that Laverne couldn't see the ever present scowl on her face at the mention of that name. "I didn't know you were back in town, Hon."

"Yeah, I've only just got in about an hour ago," She said, trying to avoid talking about her return, "Now, about that car?"

She could almost see Lavern nodding as she responded, "Right, right, go ahead, Sweetie."

"Alright, its a red...I want to say dodge or ford...small, not a caravan or anything." She paused, putting the binoculars to her face to get a read on the plates, "With a partial license plate of 25P. I can't really tell if the driver made it ou-woah!"

Her call was cut short by the car lurching forward, barrelling down as Emily blinked in shock, unable to move. Suddenly she caught the scent of lilacs and opened her eyes see that she was a few yards down the sandbar, the dust settling from the impact of the car. Holding the phone from her ear in shock, she looked up with the binoculars again to see that thankfully the woman was standing at the top of the cliff. She had her arm in the grasp of who looked like it could be Nathan Wournos, both looking down at the wreckage before turning and leaving sight. Emily let out a sigh of relief, but then felt her stomach twist in realization. Laverne's voice came through the phone after a few minutes, breaking the silence.

"Emily Dear, are you alright? What happened?"

She let out a chuckle, pulling the phone back to her hear, "Sorry, Laverne, the car just fell and I was checking to make sure no one was still inside. Luckily the driver made it out okay. It looks like Detective Wuornos found the scene as I got on the phone with you."

Laverne spoke brightly, relief in her voice. "Alright, then. Thanks for callin' it in anyway."

Emily, rubbed at her forehead, feeling a headache coming along. "No problem, I'll see you around. Give the chief a heads up that I'll be stopping by later." she said, hoping it was still Daddy Wournos that commanded the station.

Laverne stayed chipper in her salutation, "You betcha, enjoy your visit home, Sweetie."

She sighed, hanging up the phone, "Yeah, sure..._home sweet home_…"

Though the muttering was sarcastic, she did feel a bit better for her new revelation happening in her childhood home of all places. Though just to check that she hadn't just moved back subconsciously, Emily concentrated on where she had parked her car and tested herself, blinking once. Sure enough, she opened her eyes and was standing next to her car and enveloped with the scent of lilacs. She groaned, having avoided the scent for years, she should have known that her Trouble had come back. She'd been free of it for some four years now but as soon as she came back to Haven, it was back with a vengeance. As she mused to herself, she got in the car, not at all surprised that her Papa was right when he had told her it was bound to come at an unexpected time. She had hoped that it would only be for every 27 years, but this seemed to not be the case, given her departure from Haven in the first place. Shaking her head of the thought, Emily put the car into gear and drove into town, realizing that whether or not she left, Haven would always be with her.

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><p>As to be expected, once Laverne got off the phone with her half the town knew Emily was back in Haven. Not that she was complaining, or anything. Especially considering that when she stopped by Rosemary's to find her usual order freshly made and waiting for her with a kindhearted smile from the woman. If she didn't know any better, she would swear that the old dispatcher worked as fast as Vince and Dave when it came to spreading news. Which of course only reminded her of two people she was more than happy to avoid for the time being. It wasn't that she didn't like them, quite the opposite actually, they were more like family to her than her own in some ways. It was more that she just wasn't on the best of terms with Vince after she left. And when one of the Teague brothers wasn't happy with or talking to you, neither of them were. She rubbed her shoulder, feeling the weight of the symbol resting there for the first time in years. It made her wonder if they would want her back now that she'll be in the state again. For all she knew they all had just made some story about her death and she was upending it. Well, at least in one community, based on how the main face of the community was so happy to see her. Then again, it always depended on which Haven you were a part of whether or not that was a good thing.<p>

Sitting down at an outside table, Emily took in the cool autumnal breeze, and ate, trying to figure out where to find She would find Duke and wherever he had run off to. He could be at the Mcshaw's family restaurant? Though from what she heard, they closed down after the boys' parents passed away. Speaking of, she should probably swing by their place and give the boys her condolences. She moved onto the next possibility. Maybe the _Cape Rouge _but he would know that is the _first _place someone would look for him. She ran her fingers through the part at the top of her head in annoyance. Maybe he'd just decided to bail on her altogether and run another con. Finally, She laughed to herself, taking a sip of the green tea that had been a habit born of his buddha loving ways when he was almost full hippy in high school. With her luck she'll have to bail his ass out of jail because he pissed Nathan off in some way shape or form. Hell, maybe the county decided to take action and lock him up until he paid for at least a portion of the plentiful stack of parking tickets in his way. Now that she wasn't part of Haven PD, he was bound to hit some snags.

Quickly brushing off the remnants of her snack, Emily grab her things and tossed the trash, heading towards her car with a half formed purpose. She figured, if she started her search at the station, she could make her promised visit to see the chief as well as look for her missing comrade. Or at so he had initially planned until the fog rolled it. However, if she hadn't known better herself, she would have thought the sudden fog very strange, along with all the other frantic citizens inside. She became surrounded by a frenzy of confusion and terror, the knowledge helping her to remain calm. Someone's call to Conrad Brower cut through the noises of panicked mothers, startled friends, and annoyed citizens, but did nothing to prepare her to crash into the very man himself. They hit the floor with a thud against her's back, but knowing how he felt about his personal space, she ignored the pain and simply shuffled backwards. He gave a brief nod as he righted himself and ran off.

Though slightly perplexed about the whole matter, She went to stand up, but instead nearly got bulldozed by a woman who thought it would be a good idea to keep riding her bike through the dense blanket of fog. This of course, only succeeded in her bracing herself. She blinked in surprise, only to find that she'd ended up outside of the cloud, slamming her fist on the floor. Getting up, she muttered an agitated, 'Damn it,' and moved to get back into the cloud. Why was her Trouble misbehaving? It hasn't done that since it had first activated and her Papa helped her with everything. Running a hand through the tangles of her hair, she looked around to make sure no one noticed her sudden appearance, hoping the fog covered the wisp of blue mist that announced her departure.

As she picked her way carefully through the fog, she kept herself alert, and her eyes open- or at least blinked rapidly to avoid any unwanted movement. Though when a pair of hands grasped me suddenly, she felt herself tense, her entire being screeching as it went on the defensive. Turning slowly, She slumped in relief seeing that it was just Dave Teague holding onto her as he tripped on something in the fog. She helped him regain his bearings, but kept as watchful an eye as possible out for his brother. For wherever Dave was, typically, Vince wasn't too far behind. Dave nodded his thanks, unable to really see who it was that was helping him. She merely started to move him towards the closer sidewalk when they both heard someone yell out Nathan's name and a Truck horn. Suddenly, a form forced them into the side of a building as the large vehicle drove through, the fog slowly clearing. Once it was fully lifted, Emily ushering was met by twins gasps as Vince, who had been the one to move them, and Dave realized whose company they were in. She gave a wan smile and prepared herself for the questioning.

"Emelia, dear, is that you?" Vince started, his voice taking on that sweet and doddering tone he kept when he was in the more public form of Haven, "I had heard you were back, but no one said how good Providence was to you."

"It is Vince, and as much as I appreciate the comment, how many times to I have to tell you to call me Em or Emily?" She groaned playfully, her lips falling tight against her teeth in the attempt at civility.

"But it's such a pretty name!" The old man whined, "Such an insult to your grandmother that you insist on modernizing it."

"Maybe it's so old goats like you will stop comparing her to her grandmother all the time, or make her uneasy or think she's in trouble." Dave said, coming to my defense.

"How would my saying of her name compare her to Emmie? She doesn't even _like _that nickname!" Vince snapped, "And I don't make you uneasy to I?"

She wanted to tell him the truth. To say something about how he actually did make her feel terribly uneasy. How he has made her feel uneasy and scared of who she was since she was a child. Or how he was the reason that for years she hated herself as much as her mother did when it came to her Trouble. How even how he made her feel like a weapon, a person to be used when his little secret needed a quick escape. Or even just how he was the reason she was always on edge. Just how he made her uneasy in general, especially given how they ended things, but instead she gave out a light laugh and shook her head. That was behind her, or at least that's what she was going to keep telling herself as long as this little visit home was going to last.

"Only after one too many three o'clock mai tais, Vince." She quipped, eliciting a laugh from the both of them and opening an opportunity for her to ask her question. "So any idea what could have caused that fog?"

She quirked an eyebrow to leave an unsaid and ver implicit question of "or who?". The brothers shared a look, as if deciding they shouldn't answer, but instead treat her as just a regular outsider of the town.

Dave spoke this time, an easy smile on his face, "Just a bit of Maine weather, nothing to worry about."

"Been a cold week up here," Vince added, "Bit of a surprise that it happened so far inland, but…" He gave Emily a stern look, "You never know what kind of weather you'll encounter in Haven."

She let out a huff of air, her tone civil inspite of her growing annoyance at being stonewalled. "Well, I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that I can't get anything from you two. Your preference lies in the benefit to yourselves, not others." She let the comment hang for a moment, then rose her voice in fake cheer, "Which is why I come to you guys with my help on a man hunt."

"Are we looking for a criminal or your better half?" Dave said with a knowing twinkle in his eyes.

"If it's who I think it is, they're one and the same." Vince muttered to his brother in a tone that made Emily think she wasn't meant to hear it.

So, acting like she didn't, she plunged on, wanting to get the conversation to end as soon as possible. "I would probably find the first before I had any luck finding the other in Haven. Not that Providence has provided me with much luck either for that matter."

Vince shrugged, "You've only just gotten back, no telling what you'll find. A lot can happen in four years."

She rolled her eyes laughing in frustration, "More like what I _won't _find. I still haven't managed to track Crocker down after he stood me up for our meeting this morning. I can't very well find Mr. Right with my wingman missing, can I?"

She watched as they shared yet another look, only this one much more dangerous than the first. She pointed a finger at them and gave a withering glance. Whatever conclusions they were coming to were nothing good and Emily needed to stop them right away. Wagging the finger at them, she shook her head as well. It was time to set the record straight, and she wasn't going to leave room for argument.

"Nah-uh! I _know _what that look means between you two! Contrary to your own beliefs as well as those of most of this town, you two _don't know everything_, and I'm telling you to stop whatever thought you're cooking right in it's! The probability of me and _Crocker _being more than friends is about as likely as hell reaching absolute zero. Or even me and Dwight having any form of conversation while I'm here, which is just a few days by the way. I'm just passing through a job upstate that I'm going after, and I'm not going to be tricked into staying-." They gave her a look, and she stopped "Ach! You know what? I don't need to go explaining myself to you two anymore, I'll see you boys around."

As she left, Emily realized that she might have protested a bit too much, but she really didn't care. It wasn't for them to know. She wasn't going down that street she'd tiptoed past over the years, allowing the occasional glance once or twice. She was thirty-five years old, damn it and she wasn't going to fall for stupid old time beliefs that she should be married and have children running around her feet. This was the twenty-first century and she was allowed to put herself first, which is exactly what she was going to do. Tossing her now empty tea in the garbage can next to her car with a little more force than was required, she made her way to the motel and booked a room, putting on more professional clothing for her trip to the station. And this time, if she didn't see Duke she was putting out a freaking APB on the damn thief, smuggler, or whatever he was calling himself today.

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><p><em>That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed! I like it so far, and I'm gonna try to keep up with this now that I've edited it! So stay tuned, and please R&amp;R! <em>

_Also thanks to __**gabbylarson, STforRK, **__**HAPPYS WIFE QUINNS DAUGHTER, shatteredxo, Kjspirit23, **__and __** ryanrene97 **__for all your follows and/or faves!_

_And for the reviews by..._

_**STforRK**__: I'm so glad that you like it! I enjoyed writing it! And as far as the Grammatical errors from the old chapter two, I hope I fixed it when I edited and switched to 3rd Person POV. If not, let me know! _

_**HAPPYS WIFW QUINNS DAUGHTER**__: Thanks so much! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy with College/Uni and then needed to edit and revise what I already had in order to continue. (Also it doesn't help that with the show's continuation, I keep getting plot bunnies for much later)_

_Anyway, here's hoping that more of you review and tell me what you think, because it's nice and helps us writers know we're doing a good job! Anyway, Enjoy this chapter and stay tuned for more! _

_~Gwen_


	2. Only a Visit, Nothing More

_Okay, one chapter edited, now for chapter two! I hope that the change wasn't too disorienting, I personally like this a lot better. I enjoy the challenge of preventing myself from using inner thoughts as a crutch in my writing. There are times for it, but I over used it, I feel. Anyway, on to this 'new' chapter, hope you enjoy._

_**I don't own any of the copyrighted properties of Haven, but I own Emily and her story. **_

_Chapter 2: Only a visit, nothing more_

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><p>"Alright, I give up, I need to stop visiting all my old haunts, or I'll never be able to leave." Emily groaned, driving into the dock's parking lot hours later, "I mean really Stan, first the Teague brothers, and now the Chief's having me pick up shifts for the week? Get yourself more staff! My vacation time isn't going to be used saving cats from trees or moving downed trees like today."<p>

Stan laughed lightly, clearly more amused by the situation than she was. "Well what do you want, he missed you, everyone did. Nathan'll be upset that he missed you."

"He'll get over it. He always does." She deadpanned, parking the car and killing off the engine, "He's gonna see me bright and early tomorrow morning anyway, so I fail to see the damage that a few hours of not seeing me will do. Especially seeing as my desk as been filled with a new occupant."

"You do realize that after four years you don't really have a claim on him as a partner right?"

"I don't give a flying fart in space about my claim as his partner," Emily stated, getting out of the car and stepping toward the ships moored along the docks. "And don't think that I missed the fact that you didn't answer my question."

Stan sighed, "I have no idea, she came in earlier with Nathan after the fog incident, but other than that, no one really knows who she is. Seems to be working as Nathan's partner though."

"More like Nathan fell for a pretty face and she's made him her patsy." She ran a hand through her hair, "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow: I'm hunting Crockers."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Stan laughed, "I'll see you tomorrow,"

Emily pocketed her phone after the call ended, finally finding the _Cape Rouge_. The look with which she gazed upon the rust bucket Duke called a home was something she would describe as reluctant nostalgia. She had spent plenty a drunken night there, and she had also left it plenty a drunken night. She had good times and she had equally as many bad times within its walls. She laughed, she cried, she hid all of Duke's guns in new places. She would lie and tell the Hendricksons she was going to Nathan's, but would sneak there instead. If she had ever had a home, it would have been that damn boat and it was only that for less than a decade. Shaking away the thought, after realizing just how depressing and hermit-like is sounded even to her. No wonder people would think she was depressed all the time.

She turned to the ship, and moved towards a plot with a saccharine smile. If she was to _finally _find him, she might as well exact some form of revenge. Sneaking on deck, Emily slinked over to his fuse box and pulled out one of many hidden guns around the piece of junk, and kicked at a few of the boxes next to her. The next order of business was to kick off her shoes and wait, tossing them aside to be found near the scattered crates. Leaning against the wall, she kept a lookout for him, waiting to see how he would react to the rowdy 'rummaging' on the deck of his ship. Sure enough when he came up she could make out the outline of his sawed off in one hand. Taking a couple steps forward he looked to the crates, kneeling to examine the boots. Padding forward on socked feet, Emily took advantage of the distraction and came up behind him, holding the to the back of his head, but keeping it out of range of his arms should her turn around to disarm her.

"Drop the gun and stand up slowly with your hands where I can see them." Despite the highly amused grin on her face, Emily kept voice low and and authoritative. When he turned, she spoke up again, "Don't even _think _about trying anything just do it." She allowed him room to pull himself upright, her arms having to go up to follow his head, "Now, turn slowly, and explain yourself."

He started to turn, his head tilting in confusion, "What exactly am I supposed to be explaining to someone I don't even-" Upon seeing her age, he laugh his head hanging down, "Emily Hendrickson. Should've known it was you." He looked at the shoes as if they betrayed him, "You're the only one who would think of ditching your shoes to sneak up on someone."

"You really should have," She said, lowering the weapon to smile up at him, "I mean, you _are_ the one who taught me it's value, you should really keep that memory intact, you're not _that_ old."

As they fell into relaxed postures, Duke gave her a meaningful look, "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your abuse this fine evening?"

Emily crossed her arm, shaking the gun toward him dubiously, "You know, you're only just _beginning_ to hear my abuse of you if you are seriously taking the "Oh Emily what a pleasant surprise," card as an excuse to bail on our con for today." She growled, "I called you a _week _ago to let you know I was driving in today. And with all that I went through, I would say you owe me dinner at the very least."

"_I _owe _you_ dinner? And why would that be?" Duke crossed his arms, a raised eyebrow pointed towards her.

She moved her unoccupied hand to rest on her hip, and the other to just fall against her thigh, "Looking for you all day resulted in me getting nearly crushed by a wayward car, picking up a weeks worth of shifts at the station, for me to-" She paused for a moment knowing she should tell him about her Trouble, but she wasn't really prepared for anyone to know that just yet. Not even Duke. So she continued by saying "To have to see and talk to the brothers Teague."

Duke gave her a look, as if he could see past her snark and what was really bothering her, but he ignored it, giving his own response, "Shifts at the station? Well then why _hell _did you come _here_?" He said uncrossed his arms to wag a finger at her in mock scorn. "You know my rule, it's really the only one I have." His eyes fell on the gun and he tilted his head in confusion, "Hey...is that the gun from my fuze box?"

Emily snorted humorlessly, "Right the _guideline_ you use whenever get your ass caught, how _could_ I forget?"

"Ouch! Such Hostility!" He held a hand up to his heart in mock pain, making her roll her eyes, "Is that how you talked to everyone_ else_ today?"

"You're really getting soft if you think _that _was me being hostile." she shot back, my voice flat and emotionless, "Besides, nobody _else_ left me waiting for an _hour and a half _resulting me in the path of a somebody's rental car that fell off a cliff." She waved the gun toward him, "I've had a _rotten_ day because of you and if I'm hostile and decide to shoot you with a gun that ,yes, I stole from your fuze box, then I think I have every right to be."

"Ah, but you won't shoot me," he smiled, pointing to me confidently.

"Oh really?" She cocked the gun and pointed it to his shoulder, "You wanna make a bet?"

"Yeah...yeah I'm pretty sure." He said, the smile still plastered on his face. "Because you and I _both_ know that you can't stay mad at my irresistible charm."

She snorted, holding the gun out to him, "Oh your charm is plenty resistable, trust me. There's a reason you've stayed in the friend category for the past 27 years of our lives."

"And here I thought it was because I was _already_ your dirty little secret," He said, making them both laugh.

After a moment, Emily walked up and pulled Duke into a hug, "_Damn_ is it good to see you, Crocker." "I've missed our banter."

Duke went to say something, but they were both surrounded by a crack and several flashes of lightening, "Let's take this reunion below deck shall we?!"

"No complaints from me!" She yelled back, hail beginning to pelt at them.

As she went to follow him through the door something caught in her peripheral vision. Grabbing a hold of Duke's arm, she pointed and shouted, "Duke, wait! Look over there!"

They turned right as a lightning bolt struck the electrical box of one of the docks, sending a woman flying into the water. Emily started to take her jacket off to jump in, but Duke beat her to it, diving in before she had the chance. Pulling the coat back around her shoulders, she shook her head and looked for a life preserver. Duke may be a smuggler by trade, but the whole bad guy aspect of it was just a front. He had a heart full of gold hidden by all of those denim shirts that he insisted on still wearing. She tossed the preserver to him and waited until the woman was secured on the ring before pulling her up, Duke swimming to the dock to get back over. Emily traded the woman's blazer for her jacket, pulling her onto her back to get her below deck. Taking her to the bedroom, she let out a since as her own back got drenched the the waterlogged body she'd just put on Duke's bed. She made sure to take off all the wet clothing, leaving the undergarments on. Emily knew from experience that there's only so much a girl is willing to accept when she wakes up from such a trauma in a strange place with nothing on.

Drying her off with some towels found in the closet, Emily tucked her into the bed, leaving the gun and wallet looking piece of leather on top of one of Duke's ever signature grunge shirts. Peeling over her own soaked blouse, she wrapped one of her friend's thick wooly sweaters over her still mostly dry tank top. She gathered the clothing in a pile, and pocketed the phone to see if it was salvageable before going out of the room. She found Duke walking towards her, freshly showered and wrapped in a towel, his own clothing in his hands. She allowed herself a cursory look at his chest, realizing that he had gotten a couple of new tattoos, as well as redefined some muscle in the four years they hadn't seen each other. Noticing that he was waiting for her to say something she cleared her throat, a flash of heat warming her neck.

"Right, I've gotten her died and warming up in your bed, and can get set working on her phone." Remembering the other load in her arms, she nodded slightly, "After I get work on this. If you could just give me your stuff, I can go on my merry way, and you can get yourself some clothing."

She held out an awkward hand for his clothing, but he just looked at her with a strange expression. Sighing, she fixed him with an even look, "Do I _really_ have to threaten you with one of I'm guessing four guns you have hidden away in here? Just give me the damn clothes, Duke."

"Fine, fine. You know where everything is," He sighed, handing them over, and striding past her to his room.

Grinning with satisfaction, Emily allowed herself a second or two two gloat to herself before setting to her task. Going down the hallway she went to the wash basin and set to work giving each item a quick scrubbing in hot water and wringing them out. Paying special attention to the blouses, she hung them up on the line, figuring the weather wasn't going to allow for them to hang outside just yet. Afterward she went to the bar in the living room like area, frowning when Duke was still not around. She shrugged, realizing that it didn't really matter much and poured some whiskey. She kept it at about three fingers high, and casually sipped at it as she looked at the phone. It was a basic flip phone, so getting the sim card out was easier than if it was an iphone, making her work simple. Swirling the ice in her drink, she tried to see if there was anything she could do to fix the thing. She moved to the side of the bar next to closer to the kitchen for easier access to the needed supplies for the dissection and drying process. Taking it apart was a little risky, but she her experiences with Duke had taught her how to handle such "disposable" phones. With it she found that it was severely waterlogged, so the phone itself was toast, but the sim was still perfectly fine, or so she would need to find out if Duke had a spare phone lying around. Putting all of her work to the side, she knocked back the rest of her drink, glancing up lazily when Duke emerged from his bedroom.

Emily smirked, a lewd quip already on the tip of her tongue, however, upon seeing the look on her friends face, she frowned confused and concerned, "What's the matter, Crocker?"

"You have an _FBI agent _in my _bed _?" He slammed the fold of leather she'd assumed it was a wallet onto the table and opened it reading it as she realized it was actually a badge. "FBI Special Agent Audrey Parker. Do you even know what she could give me for my guns _alone_?!"

Though taken aback, she kept her voice flat, trying to make him see reason, "_Please, _You saved her _life_, Duke. I hardly think she'll want to go searching the _Rouge_ for suspicious activity." She poured herself another drink, raising an eyebrow at him, "And I fail to see how this is _my_ fault when _you_ were the one to jump on after her."

Duke faltered slightly, pointing back to the room, "That was before I knew she was a _fed_!"

"Well when she wakes up, just use that 'irresistible charm' of yours and woo her off your ship before she gets suspicious." Emily snapped, getting annoyed with his paranoia and how much of an incredible buzz kill it was. "It's not like she'll be around for long anyway, she's from Boston. Most likely, she has a case somewhere, and will be gone before you know it." Same as her, not that she was going to be mentioning that now."So stop acting like _a baby_, and be the smart, suave smuggler you like to _think_ you are."

He was still fuming, but she didn't really care, instead opting to take the bottle and her glass over to one of the many couches in the room, sitting on back of it to look out on of the portholes. She couldn't talk to Duke right now if he was just going to sit there and risk his own skin by yelling about things that _might_ happen. Damn boy was likely get get her searching if he woke her up. Running a hand through her hair, Emily let out a long sigh before letting her hand rest at her neck. She could feel the dredges of fatigue getting to her, but she wasn't ready to go yet. Though the day hadn't shaped out in any way that she had anticipated, she still wanted to spend time with Duke tonight. She had no idea when she'd be able to before she left given her new schedule with the precinct and whatever work he was doing. She still had a lot to talk to him about and he was just stubbornly unavailable. At this point she didn't even know why she bothered, though with Duke that was something that never changed.

"Alright, Spill."

She jumped at the sound of his voice during her personal pitty party and turned to see him leaning against the bar with his arms crossed. Though he clearly knew that she was hiding something, she feigned ignorance, not wanting to get into too deep a conversation. There was only so much she was willing to do today after all. Taking a sip of her drink, she spoke up, keeping her voice sharp and her gaze intent on the storm outside.

I don't know what you're talking about." She was just sitting at a window waiting for him to get over his hissy fit. What else did he want from her?

"That's bullshit and we both know it, Em was hostile, even for you." He came to sit next to her on the bench leaning so that she was forced to look at him, "What's up, kid? You know you can tell me anything."

"I'm just tired from a long day of unexpected deterrents."

She knew that she couldn't get away with this for long, but she was willing to drive down the road of denial for a little while longer. The inconvenient thing about knowing someone for 27 years though is that they can see right through your shit and push until they get what they want.

"Cut the crap, Hendrickson. Clearly something is messing around with that head of yours." He tapped her temple lightly, eliciting a scoff and an eye roll, " Now, you're going to tell me the truth, not some made up story, about what you're doing back here when I'm pretty sure your last words to me were: 'You'll be lucky if you never have to see me again.' Which, by the way, I found to be completely false and am happy to have been right. "

"I was fired from my job in Providence."

Her words cut through the lighthearted tone Duke had created and a tense silence to fill the room. She didn't want to tell him about it, but she was tired of lying to people and saying that it was just a transfer. She just couldn't find it in her to lie to Duke any more than she already did in her everyday life. She already had left so much behind in Haven, she couldn't lose him too. So as he sat there, watching him struggle to come up with a reply, his hands moving around as he pieced it together, and his lips half open in confusion, she couldn't stop the words from coming out.

"The department felt that I was using too many government resources to track down my dad and that my methods were going crooked. My life wasn't perfect and I was definitely not the most straight and true detective, but hey, we can't all be Nathan Wournos." She sighed, her hand shaking as she downed the rest of the whiskey. "But at least it was trouble free...or it was _Trouble_ free anyway. Then I went and screwed it up." She let out a sigh, resting the class next to her, "Now all I can do is hope that the job in Bangor pans out."

Duke just sat there, as if unsure on how to react to her little outburst. When he did speak up, he was cautious, as if afraid of what she would do, or more accurately, what he had to say would do to her. "Did you uh….did you at least find what you were looking for?"

She finally looked at him, noticing the worry in his eyes and feeling a twist in her gut. She never should have told him about her plans after it all happened. Should never have told him what she was searching for, or about the ghosts she tried to catch a glimpse of. She thought back to her Papa, who had been the only one to want to help her with this personal quest. Before he passed away, he'd given her the foundations of control over her Trouble and then the gave the small gem that his work with Vince had found out that her long lost father had taken up residence in Providence. So when she had a reason to leave Haven, she went and tried to find him with only Duke knowing where she went. The only thing was that he only really knew half the reason.

Running a hand through the dark tresses of her hair, Emily let out a breath, "In a manner of speaking…I found a name on a piece of granite and a trail of stories to track."

Duke held placed a hand on her knee, trying to get her to continue, but she shook her head, refusing to say anything. Letting out a sigh, he ran a hand down his face, "Em...you know you have to talk about it."

"And I will, when you're not steaming about an FBI agent in your room." She snapped, "I talk on my own terms, Duke, you _know_ that."

He groaned, "Well I guess I'll have to wait then. Even if it's after you've left and I have to track you down."

They fell into a light silence after a small fit of laughter. Emily's wasn't really feeling it, and she hoped that it was hidden from Duke. He didn't say anything about it though, so she was safe. Emily sat for a little while, trying to calm herself and not let anything show through. She wasn't ready to talk about the two years she'd laid to waste, she wasn't ready to talk about what she felt about everything that happened and everything shew as running from. She wasn't ready to talk about how she lost something she never even had and that it shattered her. There was too much of that going on the past few years.

She slid from the top of the chair and down to the couches cushion, ignoring Duke's attempts at getting her to stay and grabbing a few more bottles from the bar and a glass. Earning a look from Duke, she allowed a half smile to cover her musings, filling up the new glass with her own.

"Let's dispense with the depressing stuff and hash out what we've been up to the past four years, eh?"

"Sounds like a lot of stuff to talk about in one night," He said, looking to me curious, "You really are just breezing through town then, huh?"

Emily sighed, passing him the extra glass, "Absolutely I have too much history here and too much baggage. A visit every now and again is fine, but I really just need to find my own space to settle and go back to working my wicked ways. I've already got some connections up north for me to do my own little business while I work with the police." I gave him a sidelong glance, "If I'm lucky I'll be my own version of you. Only it'll be much better run than this rust bucket."

Duke laughed, pouring us some more whiskey, "Well...wouldn't want to keep you from that falling flat on its face, but if you're only visiting, let's make it one to remember."

She allowed a real smile to spread across her face, glad that he understood her reasons, both said and unsaid, "Now that's something I'll drink to. Just don't turn this into a mission to make me change my mind Crocker."

He just laughed and we downed our drinks, "Wouldn't dream of it, Hendrickson."

* * *

><p><em>And that's that! Hope you like it! Keep reading and reviewing! A little shorter than the last one, I know, but I liked the way it ended. Thanks to the following people I may have missed from my last update, or who have recently done so!<em>

_**Psycho17, gostcat, and Eirloki**_

_thanks so much for Favoriting and Following!_

_Stay tuned for chapter 3! _

_~Gwen_


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